Storybook Café: A new chapter for a storied space

Storybook co-owner Mackenzie Killmer with her mom, Vincenza
Natalia Zukerman
Storybook co-owner Mackenzie Killmer with her mom, Vincenza
PINE PLAINS — “The essence of the people that came before us is still here, but with our spin,” said Mackenzie Killmer, the co-owner of the new Storybook Cafe.
“In my lifetime, I can remember it being the Peppermill, The Mountain Cow, The Platter in different variations, and then Rosey’s. And I just really wanted it to be different,” said Killmer.
Storybook Café is different. It’s light and spacious while still being cozy. But Storybook Café is also, thankfully, the same. While Pine Plains has an impressive amount of very good restaurants, the closing of Rosey’s marked the end of the neighborhood coffeeshop, an integral focal point in a small town.
Killmer has had a lifelong dream of opening such a coffeeshop, but she didn’t think it would be for at least another 10 years. The dream took shape unexpectedly, thanks in part to Jamie, the former owner of Rosey’s. As fate would have it, Jamie offered Killmer and her wife, Jess, a chef at Noble Horizons, the lease for Rosey’s, presenting an opportunity too good to pass up.
Killmer and Jess took the plunge. In just four months, they have transformed the space once again into the new, old neighborhood cafe.
“It’s been less than a year since Jamie and I had that conversation,” Killmer mused, “And we’re, like, up and running, and it’s a thing! I’m exhausted because I’m not a morning person,” she laughed. “But it’s all happening.”
Killmer grew up in Pine Plains, where her family owned the beloved Lia’s Mountain View Café, which closed its doors in December 2023 after over 40 years. “I grew up literally at the Mountain View,” said Killmer. “My playpen was in the pizza room. I got off the school bus there. I was the kid that cried at snow days because that meant I’d spend the whole day at the Mountain View.”
Her experience in restaurants has primed Killmer for this new endeavor, making her more than ready for a dream she didn’t think would be a reality for many years. Open for just two weeks, the bookstore/café already has regulars. In fact, there’s a wall of mugs where people can come in and pick out their favorite, giving them a sense of belonging and home. Starting out with breakfast favorites and the usuals, they’re already expanding into a lunch menu because, said Killmer, “That’s what people want.”
Friends and relatives make up the kind and friendly staff, with Killmer’s mother, Vincenza, “Vinny,” behind the counter. They plan on having Lia’s Mountain View-themed menus in the future.
“We’re easing into it,” Killmer sighed, “But come spring, we’re going to do lots of stuff.”
Killmer spoke excitedly about plans for a children’s storytime, poetry readings, book clubs, trivia nights and local author signings, among other events. They’ve already implemented some wonderful programs. Killmer said, “Starting Feb. 1, every month, we’ll have a local charity and 25% of all book sales will get donated to that charity.” Paperbacks are listed at $8, hardcovers are $10, and children get a free book every time they come in. Said Killmer: “I don’t think kids should pay to read, so they can take a book for free, but they have to read it. And that’s the only rule.”
In just two weeks, Storybook Café has become more than a place to grab a cup of coffee; it’s a testament to lifelong dreams realized, community bonds strengthened, and the enduring magic of books. As the pages of this story continue to unfold, Pine Plains is the lucky recipient of a new favorite spot. Killmer shared her excitement and many plans for the future, but most importantly, she shared, “I just want it to be a neighborhood spot for everyone, a place for people to hang out and feel comfortable.”
Storybook Café is located at 2987 Church St. in Pine Plains. It’s open Wednesday through Monday for breakfast. For more information and to book events, email kenzie@storybook-cafe.com. Follow on Instagram and Facebook @StorybookCafeNY
Dozens of people crowded into the courthouse at the Washington Town Hall on Reservoir Drive in Millbrook on Tuesday, Oct. 7, to watch a pre-application meeting between Planning Board members and representatives of Centaur Properties LLC. David Blatt and Henry Hay of Centaur Properties LLC described their plan to build an 18-hole golf course with limited membership and residences on the historic 2,000-acre Hitchcock estate.
"This is nothing like Silo Ridge," said Centaur Properties co-founder Henry Hay. "This is Buckingham Palace to a craphouse. It's completely different. It's much higher quality."
MILLBROOK — Dozens of residents of the Town of Washington packed into the courtroom in Town Hall on Reservoir Drive for a standing-room-only regular meeting of the Planning Board on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Well over three-quarters of the crowd were there to listen in to a pre-application meeting between Planning Board members and representatives of Centaur Properties LLC, a New York City-based development company that’s proposing an 18-hole golf course, equestrian facilities and luxury residential development on the 2,000-acre Hitchcock estate.
A pre-application meeting, Planning Board Chair Susan Meaney explained before beginning the discussion, allows developers or anyone with a potential project to meet with the Planning Board and ask questions about the planning and zoning process prior to submitting an application.
“This is not a public hearing,” Meaney said. “That doesn’t mean that you can’t let your voices be heard. If you have opinions about what gets said here tonight or what the potential proposal might be you can certainly write letters to the Planning Board.”
Henry Hay and David Blatt are the men behind Centaur Properties’ proposal for the Hitchcock estate. Blatt began the discussion by expressing his and Hay’s desire to have an open dialogue with the community.
“It goes without saying this is an incredible piece of property — an incredibly large piece of property,” Blatt said. “It deserves a responsible and thoughtful steward and our hope is that we can bring that level of stewardship that the property deserves and the level of attention to detail and care that this property needs.”
Following was a description of the project centered around an 18-hole golf course that Blatt and Hay said was essential to the development.
“Our ideas on our project are to create a world class golf course, clubhouse — limited membership,” Blatt said.
Additionally, the developers expressed a desire to construct a spa, equestrian facilities, trails, housing and to conserve a portion of the estate.
Planning Board members then began a back-and-forth with the developers, asking the two men for more specific details about their proposal. One of Meaney’s first questions centered around private membership.
“We’re going to have a very, very small membership,” Hay said. “Maybe 300 people.”
That response prompted board member Nicole Drury to clarify if the proposal is more akin to a private golf club or a gated luxury housing development of the likes of the Discovery Land Company’s Silo Ridge Field Club in Amenia — a gated luxury subdivision in Amenia with an 18-hole golf course and other amenities.
“This is nothing like Silo Ridge,” Hay said in response. “This is Buckingham Palace to a craphouse. It’s completely different. It’s much higher quality.”
Later on in the meeting, Planning Board member Eric Alexander again drew comparisons between Centaur’s proposal and the nearby Silo Ridge Field Club in Amenia, which he called a “bad situation for that community.” He cited a perception of exclusivity within the luxury housing development that has put off the surrounding Amenia community.
But Hay wouldn’t elaborate on the distinctions between the Hitchcock estate proposal and Silo Ridge Field Club. "This is nothing like Silo Ridge," Hay maintained. "We don't want that."
Environmental conservation was central to the board members’ concerns, prompting conflicting responses from Blatt and Hay about the amount of open space that will be left after development.
“At least 50%,” Hay said before Blatt cut him off.
“I think 25 to 50% is kind of a good estimate,” Blatt said, correcting his colleague. “We would love to put aside as much as possible.”
The pre-application meeting ended shortly after input from the Planning Board’s attorney, Hannah Atkinson of Van DeWater & Van DeWater out of Poughkeepsie, and Meaney that not much more could be said about the proposal until something concrete has been submitted to the board.
“There’s a code so you can be working within the framework of what’s expected in these different zones,” Atkinson said of the town’s zoning code, and urged the developers to read the code and use it and the town’s comprehensive plan to guide them in designing the project. “You’re not going to be 180 degrees off what the board is expecting if you follow the provisions of the code.”
As of press time, the sale of the Hitchcock estate has not been finalized. The property was listed for sale in Summer 2024 for $75 million.
Built in 1820, 1168 Bangall Amenia Road sold for $875,000 on July 31 with the transfer recorded in August. It has a Millbrook post office and is located in the Webutuck school district.
STANFORD — The Town of Stanford with nine transfers in two months reached a median price in August of $573,000 for single family homes, still below Stanford’s all-time median high in August 2024 of $640,000.
At the beginning of October there is a large inventory of single-family homes listed for sale with only six of the 18 homes listed for below the median price of $573,000 and seven above $1 million.
July transfers
79 Ernest Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 6.87 acres in 2 parcels sold to Matthew C. Marinetti for $1,225,000.
29 Drake Road — 3 bedroom/3.5 bath home on 2 acres sold to Harper Montgomery for $850,000.
6042 Route 82 — 4 bedroom/2 bath home on 1.09 acres sold to Spencer Thompson for $795,000.
125 Tick Tock Way — 3 bedroom/2.5 bath ranch on 1.9 acres sold to Fleur Touchard for $475,000.
August transfers
102 Prospect Hill Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 6.35 acres sold to Karl Creighton Pfister for $565,000.
252 Ernest Road — 2 bedroom/1 bath cottage on .85 acres sold to Meg Bumie for $465,000.
1196 Bangall Amenia Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 2.16 acres sold to Roderick Alleyne for $875,000.
Hunns Lake Road (#759929) — 59.1 acres of residential land sold to Argos Farm LLC for $3,325,000.
* Town of Stanford recorded real estate transfers from July 1 to August 31 provided by Dutchess County Real Property Office monthly transfer reports. Details on each property from Dutchess Parcel Access - properties with an # indicate location on Dutchess Parcel Access. Market data from One Key MLS and Infosparks .Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Harlem Valley area activity reportSept. 18 to Sept. 30.
Sept. 23 — Deputies responded to 1542 State Route 292 in the Town of Pawling for the report of a suspicious vehicle at that location. Investigation resulted in the arrest of Sebastian Quiroga, age 26, for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree. Quiroga to appear in the Town of Pawling court at a later date.
Sept. 30 — Deputies responded to Woodside Street in the Town of Pine Plains for a past-occurred verbal domestic dispute between a stepfather and stepson.Matter resolved without further police intervention.
PLEASE NOTE:All subjects arrested and charged are alleged to have committed the crime and are presumed innocent until proven guilty and are to appear in local courts later.
If you have any information relative to the aforementioned criminal cases, or any other suspected criminal activity please contact the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 845-605-CLUE (2583) or Emaildcsotips@gmail.com.All information will be kept confidential.
Hunt club members and friends gathered near Pugsley Hill at the historic Wethersfield Estate and Gardens in Amenia for the opening meet of the 2025-2026 Millbrook Hunt Club season on Saturday, Oct. 4. Foxhunters took off from Wethersfield’s hilltop gardens just after 8 a.m. for a hunting jaunt around Amenia’s countryside.